Water-cooled ammunition rack



May 2o, 1947.

| T.l HEATH ET AL WATER-COOLED AMMUNITION RACK Filed July 15, 1944 Luus T- HE ath ViT-LVCETLJL 1:- Elber Patented May 20, 1947 WATER-CQLED AlYllVIUNITION RACK Y Louis T. Heath and Vincent C. Gilbert, Fort Knox, Ky.

Application July 15, 1944, Serial No. 545,169

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 2 Claims.

lThe invention described herein may be manufactured and used by orfor the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment t us of any royalty thereon.

The present invention pertains to a novel water-cooled ammunition rack designed particularly for use on combat tanks but also useful in other installations.

The object of the invention is to provide an ammunition rack so constructed as to reduce the danger of re and explosion whenv the rack is struck by a projectile. The device consists generally of a number ofspaced ammunition-receiving tubes supported in and sealed from a watertight container. When the container is filled with water, the receiving tubes are surrounded by water. Each tube has an exposed open end through which a round of ammunition can be passed.

A striking projectile, on rupturing a powder shell, immediately exposes the powder to the water. Also, hot fragments produced and thrown into the receptacle by the impact are immediately cooled by the Water, The danger of lire and explosion from either cause is thus materially reduced or entirely eliminated.

In a more developed form of the invention, a cylindrical wall is formed around each of the tubes in spaced, concentric relation thereto. The annular space between each wall and the tube therein is filled with water while the remaining space in the container is not filled. Two advantages result from this construction. A projectile striking the container does not create an excessive hydrostatic pressure throughout the container, and the rupturing of one or more cylindrical walls does not drain the water from the undamaged units. An illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the following description and in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View, partly in section, of a vertical rack; and

Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof.

The rack is mounted, for example, on a combat tank by fastening to the armor plate thereof. Other installations will be obvious. The rack includes a box-like, watertight structure l consisting preferably of armor plate and of the desired size and shape. The structure I is is provided in its top with one or two pipe fittings 2 provided each with a screw cap 3. One of the walls 4, preferably the top, of the box is formed with a number of openings '5 from each of which extends a tube 6, preferably cylindrical. to the 2 opposite wall l. The ends of the tubesare suitably secured, as by welding, to the opposite walls 4 and T. Each tube is designed to receive a round of ammunition 8 through the opening 5, as illustrated in Figure 2.

A cylindricalwall I2 is mounted around each tube 6 in spaced concentric relation thereto, the corner tubes constituting the corners of the box structure I. The walls I2 terminate short of the top of the container I and are interconnected by a sealing plate I3 which however does not cross the annular chambers I4 between each Wall I2 and the tube 6 therein. An air space I5 is thus formed in the top of the device. The filling and vent necks 2 mounted in the top of the container communicate through the space l5 with the chambers I4.

In the use of the device, the container I is nlled with water through one of the fittings 2, while the other serves as a vent. The same system may be used for flushing when desired. The tubes 6 are sealed from the interior of the container and thus receive no water. One of the lateral walls of the container may have an over-- flow port I6 near the top 4 to provide an air space I'I over the water for reducing the hydrostatic pressure when the device is struck by a projectile.

A projectile penetrating the box I and striking a tube 6 ordinarily has sufficient force to rupture the tube-and the case of the ammunition round therein. The impact of the projectile also produces spalls of armor which enter the container I and may penetrate the cases and the powder therein. The entire structure of the ammunition rack is usually disrupted, and the released water cools the hot armor fragments and the projectile and also wets the powder, thus preventing ignition from contact with hot armor spalls. In the disruption of the ammunition rack, water is thrown over the entire wreckage, thereby wetting and cooling the surrounding area and quenching any powder that may have become ignited.

The unlled spaces external of the walls I2 prevent the formation of excessive hydrostatic pressure on impact by a projectile. Also, any walls I2 that may remain undamaged are not drained of their water content.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and been described, it will be understood that various alterations may be made tion as indicated by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. An ammunition rack comprising a unitary, box-like, water-tight container having walls at the sides, top and bottom thereof preferably of armor plate, a filler tting in said top wall t0 permit the* iiow. of. yliquid intosaid'container, spaced openings in said-top Wall', vertically extending ammunition-receiving tubes supported in and sealed from said container, each of said arm munition-receiving tubes beingY sealingly at,. tached at one end thereof to said top wall'at said openings and at the other end thereof tosaidfbottom wall, the top ends of said ammunition-re ceiving tubes being open throughL said openings in said top wall, a sealing plate-inside said 'con tainer spaced laterally from and substantially parallel to said top wall and extending to said side walls, said sealing plate having'eutoutpor tions corresponding torsaid openings in Asaid top wall but of a size substantially larger than the diameter of said ammunition-receivingtubes which pass th'erethrough and` vertically lextending jsleeves l surrounding-,said 'ammunition-receive ing -tubesand spaced-"therefr'omY inside tsaidfcontainer, each of said sleeves being* sealingly attached vat one-end thereof tosaid sealing plate at said'cutout portions andat the'other end thereof to nsaid bottoniwall; the 'top ends ofI said sleeves being open through said cutouty portions in said sealing plate to the common space between said sealing plate and said top wall.

2. An ammunition rack as set forth in claim 1 wherein an aperture is provided in one of said side walls of said container between said sealing plate and saidtop wall forproviding4 ant air space in I:at least al portion ofusaid commonl space between said sealing plate and the top of said container, whereby liquid pressure is reduced when saidontainer is struck by a projectile.

LOUIS T. HEATH. VINCENT C. GILBERT.

REFERENCES CITED Theofo'llowing references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name` Date 1,429,887A K'ulenkampffi Sept. 19, 1922 1,553,589' Bargeron Sept.1 15,-1925 1,549,618? Skoda Aug. 11,'. 1925 1,765,946 Shea June24, 1930 1,950,234 Ewertz' Mar. 6,1934

162,6592 J as Apr..-27., 1875 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 109,383 Great Britain Sept. 13,'1917 

